Arrandale MacBook Air may come this summer—but not this week

A new rumor suggests that new MacBook Air models will launch as soon as …

Apple unveiled revised MacBook Pro models last month, but the MacBook Air has yet to receive the Arrandale treatment. A new rumor out of Australia says that an updated MacBook Air may be revealed as soon as this Tuesday. However, Intel's hardware roadmap and Apple's current configurations suggest that an update to the lightweight portable is still some distance away.

A source speaking to Australian Macworld—the same source that mentioned MacBook Pro updates a week before they happened—is drawing attention to a new product number appearing in Apple's inventory system. The source claims that "thousands" of new products with the code "MC516LL/A K87 BETTER BTR-USA" are headed to Australia this week. The "better" designation in the product code refers to Apple's habit of offering its machines in a "good," "better," or "best" configuration.

There are some roadblocks to Apple offering an update with Arrandale-series processors, though. The current low-power Core i5 and Core i7 processors have a maximum TDP of 18W, only 1W more than the low-power Core 2 Duos used in the current MacBook Air models. However, those processors top out at 1.06GHz or 1.20GHz—even with the architectural improvements, performance wouldn't likely compare to the 1.86 or 2.13GHz Core 2 Duos currently used, except possibly in certain multithreaded workloads.

Furthermore, the package size for the current low-power Core i5 and Core i7 processors is 952 mm2. That's slightly smaller than most mobile Core 2 Duos, but twice as big as the special small outline package that first debuted on the MacBook Air in 2008.

The slight increase in TDP and the doubling in package size might be a good trade-off if Apple would be happy to settle for the included Intel HD integrated graphics. However, the design of the recent MacBook Pros shows that Apple won't rely on an Intel IGP alone for its laptops. That means Apple would have to stuff a double-sized CPU along with a discrete GPU into the thin case of the MacBook Air, where internal volume is at a premium.

Intel told Ars that additional low-power Arrandale-class processors "for the ultra-thin segment" are coming later this summer, though the company isn't offering any further details. It might be possible that some of those new products will come in a small-outline package, or might even be available without integrated graphics. Apple did get access to the specially packaged Core 2 Duo processors before any other laptop vendor when it launched the original MacBook Air in 2008, but we aren't convinced that small-outline Core i5 or Core i7 processors are ready for volume production, given Intel's recent tight supplies of already announced mobile processors.

If a MacBook Air update does come soon, Apple would most likely pair the small-outline Core 2 Duo with the new NVIDIA GeForce 320M controller with integrated graphics. That chip is a significant upgrade to the 9400M used in current MacBook Air models, and would offer increased performance with a decreased drain on the battery. Apple could also offer SSDs across the board for more power savings and increased speed.

Australian Macworld's source also suggested that the new model number might instead refer to a 27" LED Cinema Display. The product code includes "K87," though previous rumors suggested such a product had a code of "K59." It's possible that K87 refers to a newer revision of that same product, and it might fit in as a "better" Cinema Display option. However, those previous rumors also pointed to a release closer to June along with updated Mac Pro models—we suspect the pair is more likely be released to coincide with WWDC.